The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-02-25
Che DrwOrrsf- Star
The ship island Railroad

Memphis Appeal
A reporter ut the APpeat Nestrr
day called III fhs PrabDIy Hotel
npOn Col. w. &. FaikHer, President
OF the Ripley Railroad Company
aa,l Vice. President OF the ship
Island Railroad Company, bo had
lust returned from Beauyoir, MIss.,
and interviewed him as to the early
completion OF the latter ROAD.
"Whero will be the Southern
terminus OF the Gulf amI Ship Isl
anal road n be Was asked.
s'That IsOint has not yet been
determined. The government has
sent an engineer to Mississippi CITY
lO make a thorough survey Ut The
harboT, and his report wilt have
much to 10 in fixing the point for
our road 10 enter r
sis the haTb0F considered OF Im
p~oTtanee r.
at Is not merely considered Im
pOrtant, but il IL a fact that u has
only twu suferiOrs on the continent
of North America. Ii was ia this
harbor where the British fleet
anchored ia 1915, wheH Packing
ham attempted TO capture New
Orleans; the same harbOr where
Farragut anchored the American
firet dnTiBg the late war"
sWhaL is the depth 0t ths WAGER u
.sThirty-Hve feet at low idle. The
hartpoF IS sheltered by II chain of
islands lying about eight miles IRON
the shore, where largest ocean
steamers can come ia aud have
ample protection from the most
violent stoFmH.1
"iJo you think that the building
OF this road will lead to the build
ing of a cityf
''UnquestioRably, because it will
enable ships to discharge their
cargoes aud receive frrighis ut the
wharf at the very end Ut the rail
road, which cannot be done at any
other city IN The South. An mex
haustible supply Of timber, to say
nothing OF tIIe cotton and other
products TO be exported, will OF
couIs e cause large numbers OF
ships to come and go from this
poIt. The coal and iron mines OF
Alabama will fnd here q favorable
shipping point. The healthfulness
OF the climate will draw thousands
OF pleasure seekers to this delight
full place. C0npresses, factories,
banks, and all sorts OF industrious
enterprises will spring up there
What ia the prospect Tor an
early completion OF the road Y
a'GOod. We have u large gang
at work in Union county, near New
Albany, and Ia six weeks the grade
will bs completed from Ripley To
POntOtOc, "a distance Of thirty eight
miles ; trains new run from Middle
ton. Tenu., to Cotton Plant, Miss,
thirty six and a halt miles. We
have "a gang ut work ut Daitiesbnrg,
seventy miles north OF Mississippi
City, where our road crosses the
New Orleans aud Northeastern ;
aud We have another gang ut work
in the north end of Harrison county,
Thirty miles FROM the gulf. We
grade on an average halt u mile u
day"
"What will be the length OF your
road when finished ~
About 400 miles"
"What will be its uorthern teFmi
nus 2"
"Tbis has not yet been settled.
We haze arranged 10 connect viii
the southern eud Of the OhlO Val
ley road, which is now being bulll
southwark from Evansville, Ind
That company has not yet decided
whether it will build to Jackson
Tenn, on to some other point, bal
Il is certain We will meet then
wherever they may decide TO go
Tho Evansville and Tore HautC
road will give us u direct and
strnigbt line from tue gulf 10 Chi
cage"
ais the country Ia the VicinIt! o
Mississippi City not very marshy 7
"NO, indeed, nothing like
swamp is to be found anywhere"
allow long do you think it vii
be before your road ~ completed 7
ave think We can finish it insld'
of two years"
"What IL the valuo Of lands OF
the coast y
"Tbey we're quite che9p until lh'
question OF the construction OF Tia
road became "a certainty, then land
rose rapidly, and are still rising
Anywhere between Pass Christina
aud Biloxi lands fronting on th
gull would bring 81 per foot"
"What is the nature OF the tim
Der n
"FOr a distance OF 40 miles troI
the gulf nOrIhward the long le'
pine 10 found, standing very tbicl
Of large size aud sixty TO eight
feet high, nearly as largo at til
top NJ at tue root. TbeOtber teri
tory through the central part OF a
State that is not in cultivation
thickly stocked with tall pOpla
white and red oak. ! consider u
timber OF immense value"